5 Things You Need to Break Out of Your Rut!



It's happening again.  Just when you feel like you've hit your stride and slayed the past week, you find yourself standing in the middle of your living room feeling like crap, staring at your mess, realizing you have nothing to eat in your fridge, bills to pay, and absolutely no idea where to begin.  How did I get here again?? I ask myself every.single.time.  I'm finally realizing that it never gets easier but takes a conscious effort of consistently surrounding myself with the things I know work.  The things that get my productivity moving, my body feeling healthier, and my mind clearer.  And I think we all can use a little more of these...

1. Movement.  Do a workout video.  Go for a walk.  Break into random jumping jacks in the kitchen.  No matter how much I feel like I don't want to, it ALWAYS makes me feel better.  Yesterday the girls and I hit up Target successfully followed by epic meltdown, tantrums, and straight up man handling to get them into the car seats.  I considered not stopping at the gym as I had intended, knowing I would have to experience this battle again afterward, but I stayed the course.  I knew that I was nearing the edge of my patience and that the 20 minutes of cardio would calm me and keep me going strong through the rest of the day.  It worked.  It always works.

2. People who inspire you and push you! No, I'm not talking about the girlfriend you call when you're upset to sling shots with and make fun of other girls on social media.  Yes, that can be fun every once in a while, but it's not getting YOU anywhere.  To live a truly fulfilling life, you need to feel like you are making progress.  Toward what is up to you, but you need somebody to get you out of your comfort zone and push you to do the things that are in your heart (which I suspect is not sitting on the sidelines watching or judging).

3. Daily personal development!  Yes I have said it before and I will continue to preach, preach, preach!! Nobody is beyond the need to feed their soul daily!  So get a devotional, watch some You Tube videos, subscribe to a podcast... whatever works best.  I'm telling you nobody can possibly remain a "rut" with Tony Robbins' voice in their ear, so make it happen will ya??

4.  An awesome supplement! Yes, good nutrition is key and a huge start to feeling good and having energy, but there's something about a good shake that just gives you that extra umph and validation that your body is working at it's peak.  There are a lot of good ones out there, just be sure to ask questions to find the one that is right for YOU and will best meet your needs.

5. A little makeup/lip gloss/nail polish... whatever interests you most.  I don't know about you but even when I know I'm not going anywhere, I always feel better with a little tinted moisturizer and gloss.  It's so that when I walk past the mirror with 2 toddlers in tow, I can be like, hey, I'm not doing so bad!  Current favorite: orchid gloss and medium tinted moisturizer from SeneGence.  What's your go to products?


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It Was The Last Time


It's early in the morning, but I've already been up for an hour.  I finished my workout, probably showered, and am waiting with excited anticipation for the sounds of little voices at any moment. Finally as I finish brushing my teeth, I hear it.  

"Mommy" the little voice calls.  "Mommy where are you?"

Slowly and quietly, I open the door to peek my head in.  I meet two sets of eyes peering over the railings at me with grins as big the grinch, but much less grinch-like.  I turn on the lights and tiptoe my way in. 

"Good morning Rosie.  Good morning Reilly.  Did you sleep so nicely?" I say in my warmest, most nurturing whisper as I make my way back and forth to each crib.  I ask who wants to get changed first and wait for the first person to raise their arms up to be lifted.  And one at a time I lift them excitedly to start our day together, savoring my first snuggle of the day.  

Even after they learned to get out of their cribs (I mean, they've been able to for months), they only really escaped in times of agitation.  They never strayed from our morning routine of gentle hellos, morning kisses, and mommy come and get me.  It could easily be my favorite time of day.  

The past few weeks, my husband had a lot of out of town trips planned.  I had him go in first a couple of times because I know very well how special this job is - to be the one to get them up in the morning and see how overjoyed they are to see your face first.  I also sent my mom in to do it a few times because she was staying with me to help out, and I knew that she'd only be here for a few mornings.  I on the other hand do this every day.  I would be able to do it all summer.  It would be selfish to keep all of the special good mornings to myself, and I wanted everyone to get a chance to experience it and all its wonder.  

Suddenly, something happened.  One night I was sound asleep.  Nobody called for me.  Nobody made a sound.  The monitor didn't even light up.  I suddenly awoke to a shocking pitter patter shuffling into the room and quickly appearing at my bedside was my daughter who climbed herself in for the rest of the night.  Very strange.  She must have had a bad dream.  

This continued for several nights, and then in the mornings if she and her sister made it that long.  Instead of hearing them calling me from my morning workout room, I'd hear them helping themselves to toys in the dining room.  No cries for help.  No mommy come get me.  They did it themselves.  

Since this revelation of easy ins and outs, we of course converted to toddler beds.  We call them their big girl beds and it's been a great transition.  They love them.  They play nicely in them.  And a whole new world of watching them interact and explore their newfound freedom has been both adorable and fascinating.  Still, I can't help but cry a little inside because I know that yet another one of those phases and moments has died.  I will never get to be the one to greet my daughters good morning and help them out of their cribs again.

Here I was sending other people in to experience what is my favorite time of day thinking to myself, I can do this every day for forever.  If only I had known that the last time I got to sneak quietly in to "rescue" them from their cribs was going to be the last time, I certainly would have savored it a little bit longer.  I would have taken a video of their sweet faces as I walked in.  I would have stretched the conversation a bit more and squeezed them longer as I picked them up to start the day.  

Yes, I know it's just another milestone reached, and we have oh so many more to come, but my lesson has been learned.  Each diaper changed, each bottle drank, each tackle toothbrushing session... it's all going to end one day.  The kicker is, there is no set date or time.  It's not like a school calendar where it says "Last Day of ___"  It just comes out of nowhere and suddenly you can't remember the last time your child asked you to hold her.  You have to savor every moment like it might be the last time, because truth is, one of these times it will be. 

So I have a question for you, and it's gonna be deep.  How would you live your life differently if you knew it was the last time?  The last time for what?  You can tell me.  What would you do more of?  What would you wish to happen again?  Stop going through the motions of life assuming things will always be the same.  They won't be.  People grow and change.  Situations arise.  Things change.  

From now on, I'm going through life with a heck of a lot more awareness and intention.  I'm taking note of all the sweet toddler moments that I love.  I'm attempting to laugh at the not so sweet, as I know they too are a right of passage.  I'm jumping all in towards my goals, because I realize every single day counts.  Time is never stopping and the future is a mystery.  Take in today with everything you have.  You never know when it will be the last time.  

Signed, an emotional mommy,

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